I have a rather large room 25x50 where the system resides. So I have a lot more air to move around than most, and sit at the closest 12 feet from speaker.

I had a Denon 4306 driving the M80v2's before. And I have had problems with the receiver overheating. I always suspected clipping/distortion issues when playing the music loud.

Well yesterday the RPA-2 arrived. I was blown away. My wife could even notice the difference. Although I have a new problem of how to fit this into the cabinet. Let me just say the bass was crisper, midrange was brought out more without making the top end overly bright (I think the speakers are a tad on the bright side here anyway).

I can honestly say I drove the system at very loud levels -5 to 0 for an hour or two. And I admit the loudness was starting to become uncomfortable at times. (I really feel the recording quality becomes a major issue). Never once did the amp hiccup. However it seemed to play louder than when played through the Denon directly. At levels from -10 to -15 the amp would start clipping. I do not play at this volume, but I was testing the amp.

I think the M80's are trerrific speakers but they really enjoy more power than a normal integrated amp can deliver. My recommendation is a separate amp is very desirable and required if you enjoy loud music (there I said it). I actually regret my Denon pruchase now, and wish I went spearates from the beginning.

People on the Emotiva forums where a bit surprised I could drive the amp into clipping. But I did.

Oh and BTW this is a class H amp and runs very cool. After testing for about 4 hours it was lukewarm but my Denon driving nothing was noticably hotter! (2 Channel testing only)

You drove a 350 wpc power amplifer with dual toroidal power supplies into clipping with the M80's sitting 12ft away for over an hour? Are you ears still ringing today. Do you have an SPL meter. I would love to know what db you were getting. I am betting you were over 105, probably closer to 110.

Just to chime in here, I have no idea of the math and have no idea what I am talking about. All I know is that I can hear a difference when the wattage is upped at less than what people at the PA forum have said. I believe it's the clarity with more watts that makes the difference and here you have experiences that confirm that.

I have a rather large room 25x50 where the system resides. So I have a lot more air to move around than most, and sit at the closest 12 feet from speaker.

I had a Denon 4306 driving the M80v2's before. And I have had problems with the receiver overheating. I always suspected clipping/distortion issues when playing the music loud.

Well yesterday the RPA-2 arrived. I was blown away. My wife could even notice the difference. Although I have a new problem of how to fit this into the cabinet. Let me just say the bass was crisper, midrange was brought out more without making the top end overly bright (I think the speakers are a tad on the bright side here anyway).

I can honestly say I drove the system at very loud levels -5 to 0 for an hour or two. And I admit the loudness was starting to become uncomfortable at times. (I really feel the recording quality becomes a major issue). Never once did the amp hiccup. However it seemed to play louder than when played through the Denon directly. At levels from -10 to -15 the amp would start clipping. I do not play at this volume, but I was testing the amp.

I think the M80's are trerrific speakers but they really enjoy more power than a normal integrated amp can deliver. My recommendation is a separate amp is very desirable and required if you enjoy loud music (there I said it). I actually regret my Denon pruchase now, and wish I went spearates from the beginning.

People on the Emotiva forums where a bit surprised I could drive the amp into clipping. But I did.

Oh and BTW this is a class H amp and runs very cool. After testing for about 4 hours it was lukewarm but my Denon driving nothing was noticably hotter! (2 Channel testing only)

Next home theater testing....

Awesome! Glad you are enjoying the RPA-2, I know I'm lovin mine. I can't imagine how loud that "clipping" must have been.

Just seems like to me neither the my RPA-2 or the M80's break a sweat. It was huge difference for me since I was using an older yamaha AVR.

Hey Mark, I know the sale has been on since Monday. I've been eyeing this one too. Don't need it, not by a long shot. But very temping to feed my M80's 400 watts. Even at the regular price it's a steal, compared to other makes.

Has anybody bought an Emo that lives in Canada. What is the process and additional costs to get this over the boarder?

The funny thing is, it's not spending the money that's giving me pause, it's the fact that I would have to replace my Bell'O glass-shelved rack (because it's only rated for 50lbs per shelf) and possible electrical concerns.

OK, electrical question for the experts:

I currently have ALL of my equipment on one outlet through a Belkin unit.

Does adding an amp like this increase demands for A/C power (due to various efficiencies or more power supplies) over running a receiver alone?

Or, is it one of those situations where, if I was running the system at 95dB, it doesn't really matter if the watts necessary to achieve that volume are all drawn from the receiver or split between a receiver and an amp?

The answer might determine a purchase, because I wanted to replace that rack at some point anyway....!